MALIBU, Calif. — No. 2 Pepperdine women's tennis (11-3, 3-0 WCC) will host No. 14 NC State (12-5, 5-1 ACC) and Cal Poly (7-5, 3-0 Big West) this week to close out the non-conference schedule.

The Waves welcome the Wolfpack Thursday at 2 p.m. from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center, with the matchup against Cal Poly slated for Saturday at 1 p.m.

Fans unable to attend either match can find the live stream and live scoring here. 

Saturday's match is part of the Waves Block Party taking place across multiple athletics events throughout the day on campus. Programming at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center will feature face painting, a bounce house, a live DJ and Fleet Feet Agoura Hills.

Pepperdine is currently riding an eight-match winning streak, having earned three top-15 wins across the last three matches. The midseason surge has put the Waves at No. 2 in the most recent ITA team rankings, with four Waves now ranked in singles.

The team's No. 2 ranking is its highest since beginning the 2022 spring season at No. 2.

Anastasiia Greckina came in at No. 13 in Tuesday's singles rankings, after clinching Pepperdine's 4-0 victory against No. 2 Ohio State this past Wednesday. Grechkina is now 5-4 on the season in singles. 

Both Živa Falkner (vs. No. 11 Berta Passola Folch) and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva (vs. No. 3 Luciana Perry) earned top-15 ranked singles wins this past week on the way to earning weekly recognition from the West Coast Conference. Falkner was named WCC Singles Player of the Week for the second time this season while Zhiyenbayeva tabbed WCC Freshman of the Week for the sixth time.

Falkner moved up to No. 23 in the singles rankings while Zhiyenbayeva is now No. 36, a new career-high for both. Falkner improved to 4-5 at the No. 1 position for the Waves while Zhiyenbayeva is now 10-1 on the season between flights two and three.

Duru Söke broke into the singles rankings for the first time this season at No. 107, as the sophomore has had a breakout spring for the Waves to the tune of an 8-0 singles record. 

Additionally, Alexia Harmon picked up her eighth straight singles win on the weekend, moving her to 10-2 on the season this spring. Chantal Sauvant boasts a 6-4 record, playing mainly at the No. 4 position for the Waves, having won her past two decisions.

On the doubles courts, the Waves' three pairings have settled in to post a combined 19-4 record this season. Grechkina and Sauvant sit at 7-1 on the season at the No. 2 position, while Falkner and Zhiyenbayeva are now 6-1 on the campaign. Falkner and Zhiyenbayeva are currently ranked No. 15 in the ITA doubles rankings.

Shihomi Leong and Söke have gotten out to a 6-2 start at the No. 3 doubles position for the Waves, having clinched both doubles points this past week against Ohio State and Cal. The tandem was then named WCC Doubles Team of the Week for the second time this season.

Pepperdine now has an 8-1 record this season against ranked opponents, including a 6-1 mark against those ranked within the top-15.

NC State enters play with a 12-5 overall record, as the Wolfpack are the second-highest ranked ACC program at No. 14, having won five of six conference matches this spring. They defeated No. 32 SMU 4-1 and Wake Forest 4-0 this past week on the road.

The Wolfpack have four singles players ranked within the top-65, with four players having reached double-digit singles wins through 17 matches. NC State has gone a combined 38-9 at the No. 4-6 positions this season. 

In doubles, NC State has had the same three pairings in all matches this season, combining for a 33-10 record overall. They are led by Gabrielle Broadfoot and Victoria Osuigwe, who have gone 13-2 at the No. 1 position and are currently ranked No. 2 in the country.

The Waves have gone 3-1 all-time against the Wolfpack, dropping a 5-2 decision on the road in 2025. Pepperdine took the previous three matches in Malibu which took place in 1989, 2016 and 2017.

Cal Poly has gotten out to a 7-5 mark this season with a 3-0 record in Big West play. The Mustangs fell 4-0 to No. 54 Princeton last time out, which dropped them out of the ITA rankings after being ranked No. 70.

The Waves boast a 10-0 record all-time against the Mustangs, most recently matching up in 2011. Nine of the previous 10 meetings have also taken place in Malibu.

Pepperdine will return to conference play next, hosting Portland next Sunday (Mar. 29) at noon from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S TENNIS
Pepperdine women's tennis has been a consistent powerhouse in the collegiate scene, reaching 40 NCAA Tournaments since 1982 including 28 straight appearances. Since 2018, the program has seen three national runner-ups between both singles and doubles while reaching an NCAA Regional as a team eight times in the past nine tournaments. The success at the conference level has been paramount with 33 WCC Championships including an active streak of 11 consecutive conference titles. With its 24 total All-Americans, the program has also consistently sent players to the pro circuit following their time in Malibu.
 
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